The story of ‘Silo’, Apple TV+’s latest crime/sci-fi thriller boasting an all-star cast, actually dates back to 2011. The plot began as a stand-alone piece by Hugh Howey, which he self-published online. But when support for ‘Silo’ began to grow mainly due to the strength of its characters, the stand-alone became a best-selling novel trilogy, and now, a 10-episode series, with the first two episodes premiering this week on May 5.
‘Silo’ is set in the future, where there’s a community of people living underground in a giant silo. There are rules and regulations, and in this world, failure to comply to those stipulations means death. It’s when a series of traumatic events happens to one of the silo’s engineers, Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson), that she begins to question the leadership and the truth behind what’s really happening in and out of their world.
“I really enjoyed the fact that [this show] was set in an environment that we had created ourselves. We kind of f**ked up the planet, and then we’re pushed underground, and it’s toxic and dangerous,” says Ferguson when asked about what drew her to this role. “I love the idea of pacts being created and new rules and regulations, and how the mind works of humans. And I love the idea that there are always people who will question it and break through—and my character was one of them.”
The focus on Juliette’s story was a creative decision in the adapting process, which included Howey himself. Originally the first story in the series focuses on Sheriff Holston Becker (played by David Oyelowo) and his wife Allison (Rashida Jones), and their journey to have a baby—and they are still in the series, but Ferguson’s character brings up many points and questions in correlation with one of the show’s themes: Searching for the truth.
It’s that notion that also brought in Tim Robbins to play Bernard Holland, the straight-laced head of the IT department in the silo.
“The world of the silo jumped out at me as being something that was incredibly relevant to right now and particularly the last three years of our lives on this earth,” says Robbins.
He continues: “The themes that run through it—the idea of eliminating history, the idea of the suppression of women to have control over their autonomy and over their own bodies, the suppression of information, and the idea that anything that steps outside of the narrative is attacked. There were so many themes in Hugo’s book that just resonated so completely with me.”
The idea of a society built on lies, or rather, hiding the truth, comes to a head through actions and consequences, mainly led by Juliette.
“She is traumatized by a lot of things that have happened in her life, and she doesn’t like being touched and doesn’t like people around her. She has difficulties connecting with people,” explains Ferguson. “Then during the process, something happens and she wants to figure out the truth of this incident, and she doesn’t believe what she’s hearing. And she starts becoming fiercely adamant to get the truth from the government, and what happens is it generates a movement into one truth being unraveled after another.”
Juliette gains a following from others who live in the silo, and then there are some who go against her. One character who seems to skim the grey area however comes from Robbins’ Bernard. In a position of some power, he has duties, but, he also has his own inner dilemmas that inform his actions.
“In my own life, I’ve been in that position of running an organization, a nonprofit, and I am aware of many things and behaviors of many people—but I can’t reveal the reason why I make decisions sometimes because I don’t want to compromise other people. I have to hold them up and protect them,” says Robbins.
“It’s to a much lesser degree than Bernard, because we’re talking about the survival of 10,000 people’s lives, but I understand that it’s not an easy thing and you can’t judge it. Every time I play a character, I try not to decide whether they’re good or bad, I just try to figure out what their truth is and how they get to that truth.”
In ‘Silo,’ audiences go along for the ride to unravel the mysteries happening within the story (and it will differ from the book a bit) and ultimately, will be fully encompassed into the world of this series—and Ferguson says this set structure was one of the best she’s been on, even compared to ‘Dune.’ But ultimately, viewers will be enthralled by a really good crime story set in a claustrophobic environment with fantastic actors.
“I think the truth changes for Juliette…In the beginning, she’s searching for the truth of a selfish need. The fact that someone disappears in her environment and something happens, and then she’s force-fed to believe something that did not happen and she knows it,” finishes Ferguson. “All of the sudden, she’s put in a situation where the truth is not just a selfish need—It’s now more [about the fact] that her world and society are living under a veil of made-up rules there to be able to control us.”
Catch ‘Silo’ when the first two episodes drop on Friday, May 5 on Apple TV+
